Liquid electrophotographic (LEP) printing uses a special kind of ink to form images on paper and other print substrates. LEP ink usually includes charged polymer particles dispersed in a carrier liquid. The polymer particles are sometimes referred to as toner particles and, accordingly, LEP ink is sometimes called liquid toner. An LEP printing process involves placing an electrostatic pattern of the desired printed image on a photoconductor and developing the image by presenting a thin layer of LEP ink to the charged photoconductor. The ink may be presented to the photoconductor with a roller that is commonly referred to as a “developer roller.” Charged toner particles in the ink adhere to the pattern of the desired image on the photoconductor. The ink image is transferred from the photoconductor to a print substrate, for example through a heated intermediate transfer member that evaporates much of the carrier liquid to dry the ink film before it is transferred to the print substrate.
The same part numbers designate the same or similar parts throughout the figures. The figures are not necessarily to scale.